This invention relates to air distributors or diffusers for discharging air into a room and, more particularly, to diffusers including a narrow outlet slot and deflector vanes disposed in the diffuser above the outlet slot for varying the direction of air exiting through the outlet slot.
Deflector vanes have previously been formed from flat sheets of metal or from metal channels. Examples of such deflector vanes include Kennedy U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,348 and Lambert U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,425. These vanes are susceptible to bending and vibrating under the force of air impinging on the vanes.
This invention provides an improved deflector vane construction wherein the deflector vane is generally hat shaped in cross-section or, in other words, where the deflector vane includes an inverted U-shaped central channel and flanges extending away from each other from one end of the U-shaped channel, preferably the downstream end. This configuration provides a more structurally sound vane and one which strengthens the vane against bending or vibration. In addition, the stepped configuration of the ends of the deflector vane provides for better deflection of the airstream passing around the vane. The flat lateral flanges also provide a smooth sliding surface for moving the vane thereby eliminating problems such as may be encountered with channel-shaped deflector vanes of the edges of the vanes binding or catching on the support provided for mounting the deflector vane in the diffuser.
In one embodiment of the invention, the vane is wider than the outlet slot in the diffuser and the vane comprises a plurality of individual vane portions mounted along the length of the diffuser for individual adjustment to vary the direction of deflection of the air discharged through the outlet slot along the entire air diffuser length.
In another embodiment of the invention, the air distributor can include a pair of spaced apart but adjacent outlet slots which extend in parallel fashion along the length of the diffuser and the deflector vanes are disposed above each of the outlet slots.